Items filtered by date: July 2011

Earlier this week, Victoria Beckham, otherwise known as “Posh Spice”, gave birth to her fourth child. After having three boys and one girl with husband David Beckham, Posh has been reported to be saying that her family is now complete and that she will not be having any more children. Victoria also developed some painful bunions and back pain in this last pregnancy, making the thought of going through another 9 months of being with-child even less enticing.

Many women may not be aware of the possibility of developing a bunion or other foot problems during pregnancy. Bunions are typically related to hallux abducto valgus, which is a condition where the top of the 1^stmetatarsal, which forms the base of the big toe, angles towards the other toes. This causes the first metatarsal to protrude out towards the middle of the foot at the joint at the base of the big toe, often resulting in an inflamed bony or soft tissue outgrowth that is called a bunion. Pain and irritation then occur when the bunion is under pressure and friction from a shoe. Being flat footed, or overpronating often increases the likelihood that an individual will develop a bunion.

In pregnant women, ligaments and soft tissues need to become more relaxed so that the baby will be able to fit out during birth. The body naturally takes care of this by beginning to secrete a hormone called Relaxin that has proteases and collegenases to loosen up proteins and collagen fibers that would normally be taught. It is believed that this hormone also contributes to the relaxation of foot ligaments and structures. So while the foot ligaments are looser, more support may be required to maintain the normal anatomical position of foot bones and ligaments. Wearing a stable, supportive type of shoe is best to maintain balance and foot health to avoid deformities when additional pressures are being placed on the feet during pregnancy. Victoria Beckham may have caused her bunions to become more painful by continuing to wear the sky-high stilettos that she is known for during her pregnancy. Along with wearing sensible shoes or athletic sneakers, taking time to elevate the feet and legs can help decrease swelling in pregnant feet.

While conservative methods are available to lessen the pain associated with a bunion, surgery is the only way to truly cure the problem. Now that Victoria Beckham is done having children, perhaps she will talk to her podiatrist about her foot pain, and choose what the best treatment route will be for her!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

When planning your summer trip flying out of the Port Columbus International Airport or any other airports, you may want to keep your flip flops and sandals packed until you have arrived at your vacation destination. As airport security has intensified over the past years, flight passengers have been forced to sacrifice their shoes at security in the name of safer flights. While this practice may make for smoother travels, it can make things rough on your feet!

In the winter, taking off shoes at the airport is less problematic because most people, or at least those coming from colder areas like Ohio, often have socks on to offer some foot protection. In the summer however, taking off your sandals to walk in bare feet through security where thousands of other barefoot people walk every day can leave you exposed to catching a foot fungus or warts. Because a wart is caused by a form of an infectious virus, any place that a person with a wart has walked without shoes or socks and shed tiny skin cells, can potentially spread the virus to other bare feet.

Warts can easily be mistaken for a corn or callus, because all three can appear as a thickened area of skin where the foot makes contact with the ground. Warts often are painful when pressure is placed on them, which can make walking or standing comfortably nearly impossible. The color of a wart can vary with gray and brown being more common, and a dark center is often visible. The core area of a wart can also bleed, making their transmission to a person walking barefoot at the airport even more likely. Warts are a very aggressive virus that can often seem to disappear, only to reappear shortly after. While there are many old wives tales of duct tape and other remedies that will supposedly get rid of a wart, the best treatment can most easily be found by meeting with your podiatrist. Depending on the severity of the wart, treatment options can vary from a prescription ointment to utilizing laser cautery. Taking steps to avoid warts in the first place by simply wearing sneakers and socks on your summer travels to the airport may be the best option there is to keep your feet healthy!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

Tennis enthusiasts at the Wickertree Tennis Club and Raquet Club of Columbus, as well as fans around the world are currently enjoying one of the biggest tennis tournaments of the year, the Championships at Wimbledon. It is always interesting to follow the previous year’s champions to see how they will do. It is even more interesting when last year’s champion is Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

This past Monday, June 27 in the 4^th round of Wimbledon, Nadal began having what appeared to be some very intense heel pain. Nadal had trainers called onto the court twice to check where the pain was located around the back and sides of his heel. Luckily, he was able to play through his pain to win and continue on to Friday’s match which he also won, beating out Andy Murray. Although the injury has not yet been definitely diagnosed, Nadal is taking a risk to play out his last few games at Wimbledon before taking an already scheduled vacation.

Heel pain can be debilitating to any athlete, especially for one playing at as a high level as Nadal. The most common cause of heel pain on the bottom of the foot in athletes is called plantar fasciitis, or heel spur syndrome. The plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue deep on the bottom, or plantar surface of the foot, that connects the heel bone, or calcaneus to the ball of the foot. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia has too much tension put on it and begins to pull at its attachment point on the heel bone, causing pain. Pain associated with plantar fasciitis is often worse in the morning, when the individual first steps out of bed. Individuals who overpronate, or have flat feet are at a greater risk for plantar fasciitis because of the extra tension placed on the plantar fascia when the arch is flattened and elongated. Ultrasound can be helpful in diagnosing plantar fasciitis versus other causes of plantar heel pain such as a loss of the fat pad under the heel or a nerve entrapment. If the diagnosis is plantar fasciitis, it can often be treated non-surgically. More conservative methods that may be used include icing, rest, custom orthotics to relieve plantar fascia tension cause by overpronation, night splints and stretching. If pain persists, many cases have been successfully treated by similarly non-invasive extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

Although Nadal will have to work through his pain at Wimbledon, at least his injury at this point is not severe enough to force him to drop out altogether. The promise of long break to rest your feet and get the best treatment and relief from pain in the near future can be a great motivator for anyone to make it through a tough time!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.